


Mothering

by justinsbuzz



Series: The end... [15]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justinsbuzz/pseuds/justinsbuzz
Summary: Rose is back, and existing at the same time with Steven. Will this be a happy reunion, or will the tapes she left behind be right about a small piece of inconvenient information.Warning: Strong language in the final chapter.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Doug Maheswaran/Priyanka Maheswaran, Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Rose Quartz/Greg Universe
Series: The end... [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1509437
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1: Together

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This may start out as nice and sweet, but it gets heavy. Not in this chapter though, but trust me, it does. And sorry this took so long. i know i haven't posted anything in ages, but things kind of piled on. For now though, the soon to be conclusion of the 4th arc in this AU.
> 
> Also, expect spelling errors

can heal me?” Steven suggested. “I mean, I was able to heal my dad’s leg, and Connie’s eyesight and a couple of papercuts. she could probably heal me.”

“You know… that might work.” Jasper replied, still mulling the thought over in her head. “I mean, I know that her powers could heal gems, but they might be powerful enough to heal humans too. Which, in reality, you’re fully human now.”

“I actually haven’t thought about that until now.” Steven spoke, looking down to see that the nose bleeding had stopped.

“How does it feel?” Jasper asked, taking the paper towels from Steven.

“It feels… painful.” Steven replied, massaging the left side of his forehead. “And tiring. I’m not sure how Connie can put up with this.”

“Humans a tougher than you know, Steven.” Jasper said as she handed Steven a small, light grayish-brown vial. Steven looked at it cautiously.

“What... what is that?” Steven asked as he took the small, pinky sized bottle from Jasper.

“It’s a more concentrated and reduced form of the rose water and vine fibers.” Jasper replied as she looked at the small vial with a slight sense of pride. “Should equal 10 of the normal vials and a one-gallon jug of rose water, which was already concentrated before.”

Steven pulled out the rubber plug, only to have a deep whiff of something akin to mud and potpourri. Steven, who soldered on, drank half of the vial before coughing deeply. It tasted just like how it smelled; earthy, floral, and very bitter.

“Oh man, that was terrible!” Steven exclaimed quietly.

“Well yeah, when you take twice the amount than you should have.” Jasper said bluntly. “But how do you feel now?”

Steven, after coughing and washing down the bitter taste of the plant mash with more rose water, since it was the only source of water near him, had begun to think about the question.

“Well… better, actually.” Steven said, going through the list. “My bones don’t feel like gravel. My joints don’t ache. And the headache is gone as well.”

“Glad to hear, Steven. I wasn’t so sure if it would work, but Peridot reassured me it might. Even Priyanka was kind of unsure about it. At least it helped.” Jasper spoke. “But for now, you should really rest, Steven. Hopefully, you’ll get your chance to talk to Rose.”

“Yeah. I hope so too.” Steven said as he slowly laid his head down on the armrest of the couch. Just because he was feeling better, doesn’t mean he wasn’t feeling stiff. “Goodnight, Jasper.”

“Goodnight, Steven.” Jasper replied.

Despite the concoction Jasper made for him, he didn’t sleep all too well. There were no nightmares, but at the same time, he thought he was dreaming. Faintly, he could remember people speaking around him. He didn’t talk, he just only listened.

“His symptoms have stabilized for now. His bones aren’t degrading, but there are still some fractures. Especially around his left eye.” One voice said, which sounded authoritative.

“How… how did that happen?” Another voice spoke, sounding gently passive. “I mean, all of those cracks… that shouldn’t have happened to him. How did this happen?”

“It’s a long story, Rose.” Another soft voice chirped. “Steven… he was trying to be like you. He thought he could protect everyone. He felt like he had to fill the spot you left behind.”

“But he shouldn’t have.” Rose replied bluntly. “I thought you were going to protect him. Greg? Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, Jasper? Why?”

“I did, Rose. All of us did. Well, most of us did.” Pearl replied, her voice now sounding recognizable.

“I… I didn’t protect him, my d- I mean, Rose.” Jaspers gruff voice said, which was clearly recognizable. “After you ‘left’, I was sent back to Homeworld. I never joined the rebels. And when I got back… there was a fight… and… I’m sorry. I just… wasn’t thinking straight.”

“What…what did you do, Jasper?” Rose’s voice was lowered when Steven began to slightly move on his other side, still listening in. “Jasper?”

“The brunt of the damage.” Jasper answered, her tone filled with regret. “And then I got stranded. I wanted to hunt you down for what you did to, well, you. I was stupid. All the way up to the point where I became corrupted by one of the monsters. Afterwards, after being healed, I did everything I could to set things right.”

“You… attacked my son?” Rose spoke in a low tone. But before she could say anything else, Steven let out a low moan as he repositioned himself to face everyone, and slowly open his eyes. “We’ll finish this conversation later, Jasper.”

“W-what’s going on?” Steven grumbled; his eyes fixated on the group of people sitting around the table. Greg and Priyanka were sitting on one side, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl on the other. And finally Rose and Jasper sitting at each end.

“Nothing, hon.” Rose said as she walked over to Steven. “How are you feeling, little one?”

“I’m… kind of sore still.” Steven said, attempting to sit up before a jolt of pain ran up both of his arms and causing him to fall back down with a sharp gasp. This prompted Jasper to run to his side and grab a satchel that was hanging off the end of the stairway rail.

“Hold on, Steven. I got you.” Jasper said, pulling out the half-filled vial that Steven drank out of the night before and handing it to Steven. Without giving it a second thought, Steven drank the strange mixture down, and the pain had begun to fade. His skin glowed slightly, but then faded to normal.

“What did you give him?” Rose asked Jasper sternly.

“It’s an herbal medicine. Comprised of water from the fountain, a small amount of all of the Diamond’s essence, crushed sentient vines, and rose water extract.” Jasper replied. “Basically, anything I could have found lying around the garden that could heal almost anything. Steven doesn’t have his healing abilities anymore, so… all of the damage is kind of catching up to him.”

“You mean the damage YOU caused hi-” Rose was interrupted by Steven grabbing her hand.

“No, mom.” Steven interrupted, squeezing her hand. “I’ve been through worse scrapes. And she didn’t know about really happened.”

“But Steven…” Roses words escaped her.

“It’s okay. I mean, I’ve fallen from insane heights, landed on my head a lot, got stuck in a bubble, chased by multiple mutant gems, fought the Diamonds, nearly got eaten a couple of times. All Jasper did to me was headbutted me with a pompadour shaped helmet, which I think we could all agree that it was a bit… thick-headed of her?”

Jasper and Amethyst did everything they could to not laugh out loud, but instead just snorted audibly while keeping a straight face. Rose looked at the two of them sternly for a moment before cracking a smile.

“I see you got your dad’s humor.” Rose said softly. “But Steven, I saw the X-rays. You’re not like me. why did you put yourself in harms way so much?”

Steven couldn’t say much at the moment. He remembered what Pearl was talking about before Steven let his attention be known. Him saying that he wanted to be like her wasn’t going to make sense to her. But he knew what would be the best way to explain his actions. And that way lies inside of Pearls belongings.

“Pearl?” Steven asked, catching Pearl off guard. “Do you still have the tapes?”

\--------------------------------------------

“Steven, we can't both exist. I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you. Because you're going to be something extraordinary. You're going to be a human being” Rose on the recording spoke before looking back at Greg who was calling out to her. “Take care of them, Steven.”

As Greg and Rose shared a kiss on the television screen, the video cut out, and showed static before Greg turned it off and wiped a tear from his yes. Priyanka gave a brief sniff and cleared her throat to try to maintain some form of composure. The Gems, on the other hand showed a varied range of emotion, with Amethyst silently crying, slightly more audibly crying, Garnet looking slightly depressed, and Jasper nearly on the brink of an emotional collapse. And behind them all were three floating holographic screens from gem communicators, showing White, Blue, and Yellow Diamond. All of them looking like a mess.

“I… did what I could, mom.” Steven said, resting his head on his mom’s arm as he sat right next to her. “I was able to heal the corruption, calmed down the gem cluster, got the Diamonds to lay off the crystal gems and the earth, brought peace to Homeworld, and prevented the Obsidian's from reforming and emerging.”

“The gem clusters? Obsidian's?” Rose asked, sounding highly confused, and causing the Diamonds to look very nervous as Rose turned to look at them. “What… what are those?”

Just as before Steven could respond, someone stood in the doorway, and knocked on the frame.

“Watching Saturday morning cartoons without me, Steven?” Connie asked as she strode in. “And judging from the teary-eyed audience, it’s the revamped ‘Crying Breakfast Friends To-Go’ series?”

Connie sat down right next to Steven, and begun to stare blankly at the screen, still looking tired as though she just woke up.

“Actually, it was my mom’s tape for me.” Steven replied, feeling awkward. But not as awkward as Connie had begun to feel. “Yeah… Kind of a family moment.”

“And I ruined it… didn’t I?” Connie asked, now fully awake.

“Steven, who is this?” Rose asked, looking perplexed.

“Oh. Mom, meet Connie, my girlfriend.” Steven introduced the two of them for what felt like the second time. “Her family is staying with us since their house was demolished by the injector drill Spinel… brought to earth.”

“Oh my!” Rose spoke, smiling at Connie as she picked her up. “You’re adorable! And sorry about Spinel. She can be a little… impulsive. But it was my fault. But it’s nice to meet you!”

“Y-yeah. Likewise. And sorry about the sword… I kind of broke it.” Connie said, looking guilty. “It was during a fight with the… it just broke.”

“Yeah… I was the one who actually broke it, Rose.” Blue said, looking as guilty as Connie. “But to be fair, she was fairly brave for a human to protect Steven the way she did. Jumping off that pink Lion of hers in midair and a-”

“Lion?!” Rose exclaimed. “He’s still around? Oh, my stars!”

Rose dropped Connie, who was able to land on her feet, while Rose ran out of the room, and out the front door. Frantically, she was about to whistle loudly before being sideswiped by a large, pink, lion. Lion had proceeded to nuzzle her and lick the side of her face. Connie and Steven, who was being stabilized by Jasper’s arm, slowly followed her to see Lion welcoming back an old friend.

“Where has he been?” Steven said, sounding stunned and somewhat hurt by Lions absence.

“Oh, my stars, how I missed you, my little cub!” Rose exclaimed as she ruffled up Lions mane, only to accidentally phased into it. “Oh dear, I forgot you could do that! Oh! One second.”

At that moment, Priyanka came down stairs to see Rose climbing into Lion’s mane, looking completely unphased, which surprised Connie. Priyanka could only slowly shake her head.

“Is it bad that I’m getting used to seeing strange things like this?” Priyanka asked in a flat tone.

“No. Not really.” Steven and Connie replied at the same time, looking on as Roses feet vanished within the fur. Lion decided to lay down and looked as though he was patiently waiting, which he didn’t have to do for long, since a large treasure chest with a cracked lock flew straight up into the air from out of the top of Lion’s head, and over the balcony. This caused Lion to jump up and look around in fright, trying to understand what just happened. With a deep thud, it landed in the sand outside of the house. A second later, Rose shot out of Lion’s head, causing him to panic and leap over the balcony rail. Flying as high as the chest did, Rose began to land where chest was, and also where the crystal gems began to gather around, as well as the humans, Steven included with the help of Jasper carrying him down the stairs. As Rose landed, they all stared at the chest, which was embedded into the sand, which required Garnet and Jasper to work together to lift it back upright. The front lock of the chest was severely damaged, but not damaged enough for Rose to pry it open effortlessly. With abated breath, Steven and the crystal gems encroached towards the chest, only to have their hearts sink at the sight of nothing.

“So… that’s it? All there was, was a rejuvenator scythe?” Steven asked, sounding disappointed. Rose turned quickly and knelt in front of Steven to meet him at eye level.

“You know about that?!” Rose asked, sounding shocked.

“Well… yeah. Spinel had one, and she kind of used them on all of us.” Steven replied cautiously, not wanting anyone else to get in trouble. “But everyone is fine now… everyone but me.”

“What happened?” Rose asked with a concerned look on her face.

“Well…” Steven began to speak, telling Rose about everything that had happened between the fight with spinel, all the way up to that point in time where they were. Rose looked tired after hearing everything.

“So… that’s how I lost my memory.” Rose said softly.

“Yeah… and you kind of wanted to come out of the gem. Even if it meant killing me in the process.” Steven added.

“But that wouldn’t have been possible since the gem was healing you.” Rose spoke.

“Which was the reason why Steven was in so much pain half of the time.” Connie said, gently holding Steven’s hand. “You had reverted back into being Pink Diamond, and you were stuck in a constantly healing prison. No offense, Steven.”

“Some taken.” Steven replied jokingly. “But… yeah. Aquamarine wanted to bring you out to return the Diamond to their original mindset. But I fixed it. Or stopped it… Spinel stopped them.”

“Yep! All in the days work of trying to make sure no one tries to kill Steven!” Spinel said, sprouting up between Steven and Rose. “And… what’s up now?”

“Nothing, really. Just trying to catch Rose up on things.” Steven replied.

“Ah. Oh, also, what kind of cake do you want for breakfast?” Spinel asked nonchalantly.

“Cake?” Steven asked.

“Yeah. that’s what people eat for breakfast on their birthday, right?” Spinel replied. “That… or was it salad. Hrmm…”

The realization had just struck Steven hard about todays date. So much has been going on that he and everyone around him had forgotten. Then again, even now, Steven didn’t feel like celebrating anything at this point. Rose, on the other hand, could not look more excited.

“Oh, my stars! It’s your birthday!” Rose squealed as she picked Steven up. “If I remember correctly, humans usually celebrate those things with cakes and presents and parties. We should do that! Or maybe head to homeworld and throw a ball. That would be exciting.”

“Um… actually. I was thinking about taking it easy. Primarily with my bones being broken for the most part.” Steven said. “And usually, we would go and hang out at Funland, or go to the arcade. But we kind of already did that yesterday.”

“Well, why not do that again today?” Rose asked.

“Well, I’m not sure If-” Steven stopped in mid-sentence, as Rose looked at Steven with large, pink eyes. “I mean, I would love to, but… I think we’re banned from going to Funland.”

“Well, actually, Pink Diamond was the one that got kicked out. Not Rose Quartz.” Amethyst pointed out.

“Eh… yeah. good point.” Steven shrugged. “But I’m kind of not feeling all too great to go anywhere. My bones still kind of ache.”

At that moment, Rose immediately gave Steven a kiss on the forehead, which caused him to slightly glow for a few seconds. Steven looked down at his hands, and for the first time since he lost his gem, he felt like he was back to normal.

“Better?” Rose asked with a soft smile. Steven could only nod, making Rose smile more. “Great! Let’s go then!”

“Um… Mrs. Universe? Wait, is it okay if I can call you that?” Connie asked awkwardly. Rose looked over at Greg, who walked over to her with the same smile.

“Yes, dear.” Rose answered.

“Well, Mrs. Universe, It’s actually 7 in the morning.” Connie said, looking around at the light coming from the rising sun. “Funland doesn’t open until 12.”

“Well, maybe Vidalia could let us borrow some wire cutters, or I could just throw-” Rose stopped mid-sentence as people around her implored her not to do anything illegal. Rose could only chuckle. “I’m kidding… a blowtorch would work better.”

“How about no.” said Priyanka bluntly, who was still wearing a bathrobe, and carrying a mug of her morning tea. It was too early for her to deal with this, especially on her day off.

“I’m only kidding, Priya.” Rose attempted to reassure Priyanka that she was only kidding. Priyanka shook her head.

“I mean no to going to any sort of theme park.” Priyanka spoke bluntly. “Steven is in no condition to start going on roller coasters that might cause him to fly off the rails. He’s not well.”

“No. It’s okay. I’m feeling great.” Steven said, also trying to reassure everyone around him. Apart from Connie and her mom, everyone looked unsure. Priyanka and Connie, on the other hand, both looked at the mother and son and slowly shook their heads.

“Mrs. Universe, may I have a word with you? Inside the house?” Priyanka asked, looking slightly frustrated.

“Same goes for you too, Steven.” Connie said.

Steven and Rose sat on the couch as the Maheswaran women looked at them with concern. It was hard to gauge which one was generally worried, and who was just not going to have it today.

“Biscuit-”

“His name is Steven, dear.” Rose interrupted Connie.

“It’s my nickname for him, ma’am.” Connie stated before returning her attention towards Steven. “Hon… You might seem well right now. But you might not be well later on. Shouldn’t you take it easy today? You did have a lot of stuff going on in the past couple of days.”

Steven wanted to argue. But looking deep into her eyes, he knew she was right. Because if he had the energy to do so, he would disagree. But thinking about it, he did feel fine right now. He thought the medicine would keep working. Who knew how long Rose’s healing powers would last?

“She’s right, Steven.” Rose said, gently wrapping her arms around him. “You have had a busy couple of weeks, from what I was told.”

“Actually… it’s just been rough.” Steven said, wrapping his arms around her as well. “It’s been a rough couple of years.”

“It might be a good time to talk about that with her, Steven.” Priyanka mentioned, while trying not to ruin the moment.

“It actually would.” Steven replied. “I know you wanted to do everything that normal people would do for their birthday, but… maybe, could we take it easy?”

Steven was nervous to ask this. He always just wanted to please other people. But this time, he needed to do what was right for him. Even now with the creeping ache returning.

“Yes. Of course. Whatever you want to do. It’s your birthday after all.” Rose said softly, still hugging Steven. “Do you have anything in mind?”

The idea of doing most of the things they did yesterday didn’t really appeal to Steven. A few years ago, it might have. But since then, it felt like the spark he had in him as a kid was gone. Instead, there was just a slow-burning candle. No bright sparks, no sense of spontaneity. And as far as going on adventures, he had the subtle feeling of just wanting to be on earth, trying to live in peace. The thought of something like that made him think about a few places he was told his mom visited a lot before he was born. Or even before she and Greg ever met. And there were a few places that Steven wanted to show her as well. moving away from her, Steven remembered the overlook south of Beach City. Where roses tree stood.

“Maybe… we could start off there?” Steven asked, gesturing towards the direction towards the overlook, where his mom’s tree sat. Roses eye’s widened.

“The tree… it’s still standing? I forgot that I planted that after the town was founded hundreds of years ago.” Rose said in awe. “It’s… how about I tell you about it when we get up there.”

“Can dad come too?” Steven asked. “And… maybe Pearl?”

“Well… if they want to. Just try not to be at each other’s throats, please?” Rose asked, as she turned to see Greg and Pearl sitting at the kitchen table.

“Oh, we don’t do that anymore.” Pearl said nonchalantly.

“W-what she means to say is that we’ve patched things over.” Greg added, trying to reassure Rose that things are better now. “She’s even learned how to play the bass guitar.”

“You see. They’ve been getting along great with each other.” Steven pointed out. “So… they can come too?”

“The more the merrier.” Rose said with a smile. “As long as you take it easy.”

“That’s great! Connie and Patricia can come as well. maybe even Priya?” Steven wondered, looking over at the doctor, who was already dressed for work. Noticing that Steven had said her name, she painfully squinted, and felt rather awkward at being called out.

“Actually… Steven. I’m kind of backed up. I had to push a bunch of patients back a day after the whole Homeworld thing.” Priyanka said, sounding guilty. “But I’ll be back this evening.”

“Sounds good.” Steven smiled. “Be safe.”

“You too. All of you.” Priyanka said as she went out the door.


	2. Chapter 2: Memmory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crystal gems go down memory lane, where Rose fills in some of the mysteries and gaps of the past. Sometimes, the past does come back to haunt them in the worst of ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooooooh boy. okay. last warning. this is the 2nd of 3 chapters. This is deceptively sweet, but just brace yourself for the end. *hugs for all*
> 
> Also, just wanted to add some easter eggs near the end. i wanted to give depth to the history of the Crystal gems, as well as the tumultuous history of Earth before the Diamonds. Just a small treat before... yeah...

Despite Rose's healing powers, Steven still felt somewhat tired. Understandable since he had been traveling all over the place yesterday with an amnesia-suffering Pink Diamond. Steven didn’t need Jasper to carry him around, but instead, was riding Lion around, with Connie sitting behind him. Lion didn’t seem to mind much, primarily because they were more fixated on Rose than anything else. and to make sure Greg didn’t have to walk too much, he and Patricia took turns riding on Amethyst, who had shape-shifted into a horse. Their first stop was Roses tree that sat up on a hill, overlooking Beach City. Rose was amazed that the tree was still standing. Especially with a suspicious looking scar around the main body of the tree, as though somehow it was swiftly cut down, and then hastily healed itself.

“It’s really amazing that it’s still here.” Rose said as she placed a hand on the tree, causing the dormant buds to open up wide. “It still does that…”

“The tree blooming?” Steven asked, carefully rearranging the slightly small birthday crown on his head.

“Yes.” Rose said softly as she carefully plucked a single flower from the lowest branch, and handed it to Steven. “When this town was built hundreds of years ago, despite our warnings, I wanted to give them a gift. I had never grown anything before. I had some hope that it might last for a few years at most. But now, just seeing it here… I’m really glad it’s still standing.”

“It’s really pretty. “Patricia said in awe as Rose handed her a small flower, to which Patricia had tucked the stem into the pin that kept her hijab in place. “Smells nice too.”

“Thank you, dear.” Rose replied to her, while breathing a sigh of relief. “I kind of wished that you and I could have existed at the same time, Steven. I sometimes daydreamed about sitting under here with you, and telling you stories about our adventures.”

“Well… maybe we could do that another time?” Steven asked, smiling at his mom. “When I’m feeling better of course.”

“Maybe. I would love to do that. I’m just amazed that after all this time, one monster after another, it’s still standing.” Rose spoke, slowly placing her hand over the scarred part of the tree. “Even after Pearl accidentally cut it in half.”

“W-wait… How did you know that?” Pearl asked, sounding both surprised, and suspicious. “That only happened a few years ago…”

“I thought you were showing me something with your spear though.” Rose replied, looking confused.

“That was when I showed Steven how to summon his shield.” Pearl spoke softly, looking like a blank slate.

“Oh… I thought… huh.” Rose mumbled as she tried to remember. As she turned to look at Beach City, something had caught her eye. “The pier… What happened there?”

Everyone looked at the northern part of Beach City, and knew exactly what she was mentioning.

“Yeah… I think… that should be our next stop.” Steven mentioned.

~~~~~~~

Most of the debris of the destroyed pier was still where it was. Chunks of splintered wood poking out from the sand. Large boards, partially hanging on by a few rusty nails. The Crystal Gems were going to get around to cleaning it up eventually. But for the meantime, the ruined and abandoned pier held a special place in Steven and Connie’s heart. But to Rose, It seemed as though she was in a mild state of disbelief.

“This place… what happened?” Rose asked bluntly, resting her hands on one of the few pillars left standing from the attach by a gem monster.

“Well…you see… Connie and I were being attacked by this large gem-worm monster. And it chased us around.” Steven attempted to explain.

“And since we didn’t have any weapons, Steven and I had to tangle up the worm between the pillars to get it to stop chasing us.” Connie added.

“And by doing that, we were able to poof the monster… after the pier crushed it.” Steven finished, looking guilty.

“Best first date ever.” Connie said bluntly.

“Wait. THAT was our first date?” Steven asked, looking startled.

“It was to me.” Connie smirked as she blushed slightly. Steven looked back and blushed as well.

“Wow… some first date.” Rose said, looking back at the two teens who were riding on Lion. Steven couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. “This place though… this was the oldest structure in Beach City. It was actually where the first inhabitants of the city landed. They took apart what was left of the boat that was damaged from a monster attack. We offered to repair the boat and sent them on their way, but they insisted that they stay. Despite the constant corrupted gem attacks… and spontaneous fires… and Amethyst when she doesn’t get anything to eat.”

“… and we destroyed it.” Steven said, sounding miserable.

“On our first date too…” Connie quickly added.

“Well, it was pretty old.” Greg spoke, looking around. “And I don’t think it held any real resemblance to anyone here.”

‘Well, it kind of does.” Rose and Steven said at the same time. They then quickly looked at each other with curiosity.

“Does… Mom? Do you remember something else about this place?” Steven asked her, causing her to look worried.

“Honestly, Steven, I’m… not sure.” Rose said, turning to face one of the last surviving pillars. She rested her hand on it, slowly feeling the grooves. “On one hand, I remember the first settlers of this town having a hard time trying to get this built. We all pitched in, grabbed what we could from the wreckage… this was part of the main mast of the ship.”

“It took time, but in the end, they got their uses out of it… for the most part.” Garnet added. “It seemed as though when most people realized how odd this place can become, or how dangerous, they bypassed this place.”

“We then built a road leading north.” Pearl added. “We couldn’t have left these people out to dry. They were pretty adamant on wanting to stay. Eventually… we ended up becoming the secret guardians of this city.”

Even though the history lesson was keeping the attention of Patricia and Greg, the more Rose revealed about the abandoned pier, the worse Steven and Connie had felt. It was as though they had destroyed another place that was special to her. Rose could sense this, even when she isn’t looking at them. She continued, shifting to another point of view.

“On the other hand, I remember dodging and weaving through these pillars as a giant worm was attempting to eat me…” Rose spoke, her voice trailing off for a few moments, as well as her thoughts. Greg, being Greg, walked over to her, and placed his hand on her upper arm, since she was still so tall.

“You okay, Rose?” Greg asked, sounding concerned. “It seems like… maybe we should go somewhere else?”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Steven and Connie said at the same time accidentally.

“It… does. It actually does.” Rose said, slowly coming back to reality, and no longer lost in a fog of thoughts. “Maybe I should show you all the armory.”

~~~~~~

The warp pad took them to a dark, and winding tunnel inside of a cave. Everyone had to walk in single file, due to how narrow the tunnel was. Luckily for them, the tunnel wasn’t too long. After a few dozen paces, they see the entrance into a large cavern, adorn with hanging stalactites that had embedded gems that glowed softly. These were overshadowed with a gently glowing crystal platform surface that took up nearly the entirety of the cavern floor. It had been ages since Steven had set foot inside of the Armory. But for most of the people who had accompanied Rose to the large cavern, it was their first time. Yet, it didn’t matter who was there for their first time, or if it wasn’t, it still held the same expression of awe on everyone’s faces.

“This place… it’s… it’s so massive!” Patricia exclaimed, her voice echoing off of the cavern walls. “Oof. Sorry. Good acoustics though.”

“Yeah. Definitely.” Greg agreed, sounding dazed as he constantly stared up at the ceiling. “We should have gone on dates here, Rose.”

“Um… no.” Rose replied, cringing at the thought. “This place isn’t as romantic as it seems.”

The moment Rose stepped onto the large crystal pad, it glowed brightly, as though it was reacting with her gem. And with the pad glowing, so too did the small crystals poking out of the ceiling and walls. The cavern was completely lit up in a soft, blue glow. As soon as the crystals began to glow, a small pedestal rose from the ground, up to the height of Roses waist. The surface had an indentation of a large hand print, indented into it. Instinctively, he rested her hand onto it causing multiple squares on the ground to glow, and then rise up. Each one showing an odd relic. Some of them, like the armor of the fallen, the heretics anguish, The axes of ages, and the notorious ‘mysterious coin’.

And then, there were more curious objects that were shown. A small pedestal with a cylindrical glass tube, containing a black orb that acted like ferro-fluid. For a brief moment, Steven swore he saw an eyeball. He tried to get Connie’s attention, but by the time she turned to look, the eye was gone. Another relic looked like a small, wooden chest, that had strange markings, including 3 geometrically shaped indentations that looked like it could fit something that could look like gems. A third relic was something that one could describe as a concrete folk-art piece of a one-eyes triangle with a top hat. the only people who paid attention to it was Steven and Amethyst, whom the latter had let out a low growl as she walked swiftly past it. Another pedestal that contained A old broken parasol, with an odd-looking sphere with a moon carved into it. A leather-bound book, with a metal sword, a skull, and a ring with embedded stones emblazoned on it, laying on top of an odd, white hat. And finally, one of the more out of placed objects was a large, black metal computer tower, who’s eerily blue glowing fans silently hummed, despite the fact that it wasn’t plugged into any power source.

“Mom… I have SO many questions right now.” Steven said, sounding amazed at what he’s looking at. “I mean, like, wha-”

“PENNY!” Connie interrupted quickly, causing Steven to look back at Connie with surprise. “I’m sorry, Steven. It’s just that it was one of the biggest things that had been nagging me ever since our second date.”

“Second… date?” Steven asked, sounding very confused for a moment, before coming to terms that any time he and Connie were ever alone, and on an adventure was going to be considered as a date. Something he never gave much thought about until now. A thought, in which, he was content with. “Okay. Fair point.”

“Oh! The penny!” Rose replied with excitement, as she ran towards the giant coin. “I was toying around with metal sculpting. I remember finding an ancient coin from long ago, and I wanted to make a giant version of it.”

“Oh… neat.” Connie said, sounding unsatisfied with such an ordinary answer.

“Well, Connie, you have to admit…” Steven began to speak before his mom joined in. “It does make a whole lot of cents!”

Almost in sync with one another, Steven and his mom pointed finger guns at each other and winked. Apart from Greg, who couldn’t stop laughing, everyone else let our a huge groan. Even Lion let out a long moan. Connie, on the other hand, gently banged her head against Steven’s back.

“I never took into account that being a cheesy little goofball was genetic.” Connie groaned. “Our kids are going to be little corny puffs.”

“What?” Steven asked, not quite sure what he heard.

“Nothing!” Connie replied quickly.

“Well… the other reason was because in the 60’s, there weren’t a lot of corrupted gems to capture, and things got a little dull.” Pearl spoke. “So we wanted to liven things up. But instead of hosting a block party, or maybe a musical…”

“It was the rise of ‘Princess Puffin’!” Amethyst exclaimed, turning into a stout, stern looking woman, who was dressed in old, Victorian clothing. “The queen of crime. The countess of capers. The duchess of dastardly, deviant deeds!”

“And the only one’s who could stop her was ‘Wombat woman’!” Rose cried out, producing her shield, and hitting the ground with it.

“And her loyal sidekick, ‘The Pink Peacock’!” Pearl exclaimed as well, pulling out a pair of bladed fans Steven had never seen before from her gem.

“And I was the one who wrote most of the script.” Garnet said, lowering her shades to wink at Steven. “As well as played the part of the butler by day, and special agent by night. Only known as ‘The Guardian’.”

“I… am throwing out all of the comic books I have hidden in my room, and I want you to tell me everything…” Patricia said, with stars in her eyes. “Maybe get Peridot to do some concept drawings. Going to need Amethyst to be the lore keeper. I’ll take care of the writing.”

“Don’t.” Garnet spoke abruptly. “’Wombat Woman and the Pink Peacock’ didn’t do too well then.”

“That’s because it was too ahead of it’s time!” Patricia whined. “It’s a story we need now more than ever!”

“Eh… catch me later.” Garnet said, thinking pensively for a moment.

“But what about the other stuff?” Steven asked, pointing out everything else that wasn’t the penny.

“Ah, well. The cylindrical fluid there was supposedly an old project of the Diamonds that I don’t think ever came into fruition.” Rose pointed out. “The Diamonds tried to recreate Obsidian, which was a fusion of myself, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst. They never figured out that I was a diamond, so those things were highly volatile. They tried to launch a pod of those things at the earth, but it didn’t do anything. That, right there, was just an example of what the Diamonds wanted to do.”

“Um… yeah… glad that never happened.” Steven said, trying not to look at Rose. “Also… do you think… you could heal me?”

“Oh course. You’re not looking too great, sweetie. Do you want to take a break. Call it a day?” Rose asked as she walked over and kissed Steven on the forehead.

“No. It’s okay. I can keep going.” Steven replied.

“Hope that helps then.” Rose smiled softly as she moved away.

“Yeah. It is.” Steven spoke, smiling back, despite the fact that it didn’t help out as well as it used to. “But… what about the other… I dunno where to start.”

“How about the weird pyramid dude?” Patricia asked, pointing at the concrete statue. All Rose, and the Crystal Gems could do was look on at the statue with a seething fury.

“Bill… actually… you don’t want to know.” Rose said, sounding stern at first before looking away. “That little monster… isn’t worth mentioning. But the other artifacts like the broken parasol of the parallel-parallel dimension, as well as the wort-wood chest came from some of the ruins of southern California. It’s a hotbed of odd things. Maybe we can go there sometime? A family vacation?”

“That honestly sounds nice actually.” Greg chimed in. “A family road trip.”

“Should have seen that coming.” Pearl said as she rolled her eyes.

“What about the computer?” Connie asked. “Also… can I have it?”

“Oh… the case of knowledge?” Pearl asked as she walked slowly towards it. “N-no. Trust me, Connie. That is not a computer.”

“It’s… not?” Connie, Steven, and Patricia asked simultaneously.

“No. Or… at least not anymore.” Pearl replied, looking at the slightly humming computer case. “I’ve seen some strange things here on earth, but that computer… It’s like there’s someone alive. It’s on, despite no source of power. And when we hooked it up to a monitor and keyboard, we were able to talk to, well, them. Long story short, it was a semi-failed experiment of someone trying to upload their consciousness into a computer. Or it could have been a success, and the being within is just really miserable.”

Every human in the room stood their silently, shocked and unsure as to how to take this news. The idea of a person’s mind, inhabiting a computer, with no need for external power. But at the same time, a ping of sadness at the thought of a sentient being living inside of a computer.

“Um… well… how about the armor then?” Connie asked, trying to change the subject to something less existential-crisis inducing. “I mean…don’t gems have their own armor? A lot of these looked like they could belong to humans.”

“They did.” Rose replied flatly, as she stared at one of the armors. Particularly the one that had a hood, slight chain-mail, and an eye-patch. “Every so often, we would come across a human who had shown remarkable skill in combat. Those who fought corrupted gems, and lived to tell. Some of them lived to tell it several times.”

“They… were like you, Connie.” Pearl said, sounding depressed. “Every one of them had shown some form of proneness, ability, determination to protect those they loved. Even those who loved one of us… onto their dying breath.”

“William, Joan, Roberts, Tomoe, Rodrigo, Khawlah, Kittur. And those were to name a few.” Rose spoke mournfully. “You, Connie, remind me a lot of Kittur. Or at least a younger version of her. Fearless. Brave. And probably the last human warrior.”

“Well, there might be oth- wait.” Connie stopped abruptly, with a confused look on her face. “How… how do you know about me being a fighter?”

“I remember the time we had that accidental sparring session with the 3 headed drone of Moa.” Rose said, remembering fondly of a memory she shouldn’t have. “It was before seeing Dog Copter, an- GAH!”

Rose had stopped in mid-sentence, clutching her gem as she nearly fell to her knees, clutching onto the Pedestal. This caused Steven to leap off of Lion, only to fall face first onto the cold, glassy surface.

“Rose! Steven!” Greg called out as he rushed to Steven’s side. Connie leaped off of the confused Lion, unsure of what to make of the situation. Steven’s legs had given out. Steven let out an anguished moan, while Rose clutched her brightly glowing gem.

“W-what’s wrong, Steven! Talk to me!” Connie pleaded, being joined by a concerned, and terrified Patricia and Amethyst.

“My…my legs.” Steven groaned, blood running down Steven’s nose. “I think… they’re broken. My… arms…”

Steven looked on at his mother, who had collapsed onto her knees, surrounded by a panicking Pearl, and an almost visibly crying Garnet, who had unfused instantly.

“Connie! Amethyst! Go get Jasper and Priyanka.” Sapphire called out to them, tears running down her face. Steven was slowly blacking out. “Tell them to meet us at the fountain!”

His father’s hand on his back, causing a tremendous amount of pain. His body felt broken, cold, and burning up at the same time.

“M-mom?” Steven mumbled, trying to reach out to her before blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Fate be a kind soul sometimes. But the rest of the time, they be but a cruel tempest of raging fire of anger and icy waters of sorrow. Life taken too soon. Moments robbed in our brief time in this vicious existence. One cannot exist the same time as another.
> 
> W A R N I N G : For those with tender hearts, and soft in soul, i not just recomend but implore you to go on to the next story and leave the next chapter in the dark. But if you do go on to the next chapter, i highly recommend having tissues, chocolate, strong iced coffee, and a pillow to hug. I am sorry.


	3. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fates checkmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... If you're reading this, then it means that you didn't heed my warnings. well, last warning, lest your eyes turn into sprinklers. Strong coffee, chocolate, pillow.
> 
> And... I'm sorry.

His body began to not feel as bad as it was before. Now, it just feels like he was aching all over. His bones felt like shattered glass. His lungs felt as though it was being pierced by spears, making it hard to breathe.

“Schtew-ball! Rose! Both of you! Talk to me!” A fatherly voice was heard

“Rose is coming through! How’s Steven?!” A shrill voice called out.

“Come on, Buddy… Not like this!” the familiar small but gruff voice pleaded with him, he felt a hand holding his.

“Please Steven… I dunno what’s going on. I… I can’t see. Why can’t I see!” A slightly higher pitched voice was heard nearby. They sounded as though they were visibly crying. “Sapphy! Talk to me! What do you see?!”

“No… no! just… no…” A soft, mournful voice was heard.

Slowly, Steven’s eyes opened. His eyes ached for a moment. But as shapes and people came into focus, he could see people looking down on him. The first one he noticed was a large being. For a brief moment, Steven thought he saw Rose. But a moment later, he was staring at a visibly distraught Jasper, who was crying over him while gently having a hand on his chest. His father, Amethyst, and Ruby were by his side as well as his body gently floated slightly beneath the surface of a body of water. Looking beyond the faces of terrified loved ones were the large faces of Blue, Yellow, and White Diamond. Looking almost as distressed as everyone else. with a gentle blue hue coating the surrounding area underneath the night sky, it showed that Blue had no control over her power. But whether she did or not, everyone shared the same emotion of fear and sorrow. He also saw gems floating above him. Lapis and Peridot. A few worried-looking Aquamarines, as well as a few miscellaneous Lapis’ who each looked slightly different, but equally scared. Perched upon the statue like an ever-watching falcon sat Obsidian. Her face held no emotion but the tears that had shone under the pail moonlight above her, even as her hood casted a shadow across her eyes. Sitting nearby, was Spinel. Her tear streaks had returned, but no longer did she look angry, but filled with sadness. Not being only surrounded by gems, but the Maheswaran’s’, as well as Patricia, were there as well. They all looked very worried, tears in their eyes. Especially Priyanka, who was able to squeeze herself between Jasper and Greg to take vital signs.

“Okay. He’s coming through. The shot is taking effect, but his vitals are… not…” Priyanka attempted to keep a steady voice, before it started cracking. “Don’t you dare go out like this! Fucking hell, Steven! Come on, baby! Stay with us!”

“Steven…” A soft voice called to him. An abrupt silence fell over everyone. The only thing that didn’t stop were the tears. “Steven… Sweetie…”

Steven looked over to see mother, gently swimming towards his side. A pained look on her face.

“R-rose… Don’t…” Pearl’s voice could be heard as she slowly came into view. She looked at the two of them, looking more terrified than she had ever looked in a while.

“Pearl. Love. Please. I need to. It’s the only way.” Rose said, looking at Pearl with tears in her eyes. “Pearl… Greg… I loved you both equally. And I’m Sorry for keeping secrets, as well as forcing other to-”

“No! R-Rose!’ Greg interrupted her in a shaky voice. “Don’t apologize. Please…”

“No, Greg… my souring comet. I need to.” Rose said, her voice shaking. “The secrets I kept. The burden I placed on people. I wanted to be free, but I never wanted to hurt anyone. Especially you, Steven. I never should have put all of this on you.”

“BUT YOU DIDN’T!” Pearl cried out. “Y-you didn’t…”

“We did.” A familiar, deep voice spoke out. Garnet had reformed. Her shades removed to reveal all three eyes, raining down tears. “We did… Rose. We weren’t ready to accept you were gone. We… wanted to fill the void you left. We put so much burden on him. We shouldn’t have.”

“Damn right you shouldn’t have!” Priyanka growled.

“Priya.” Rose spoke softly, catching the eyes of an old friend. “It’s… It my burden to bear.”

“M-” Steven attempted to speak before he coughed up some sort of warm fluid. This caused Priyanka, and those around him to look on in fear.

“Steven. You don’t have to speak.” Rose said, holding Steven’s hand, as his other hand was being held by a different person. A smaller hand. Softer. The hand of someone he had loved ever since he saw her, with suds in his hair.

“Steven… Please… Don’t leave me.” Connie's voice squeaked. She seemed to be the one who was handling all of this the worst. “Please don’t leave me, my love.”

“He… he’s not the one who’s leaving, Connie.” Rose said mournfully. Steven could almost see a bright glow from beneath the surface of the water below Rose. “He’s not going to go anywhere. And neither will I. but not in this form…”

“No… not again. My… Rose. My friend! Not again!” Spinels voice cried out mournfully.

“Rose? Rose? W-what are you saying?” Amethyst asked sternly. “Are… ARE YOU LEAVING US AGAIN?! FUCKING REALLY?!”

“Amethyst.” Rose spoke again, but in a flat tone. “Amethyst… my little warrior… Do you remember what I told you? The day before?”

“No… I-I remember… but… no…” Amethysts words trailed off.

“Protect him… like you protected me.” Rose said softly. “Please. And Pearl, Garnet. He’s my son. He’s not me. please, don’t put him in the same spot as you did me.”

Pearl and Garnet slowly nodded, looking guilty.

“M-mom?” Steven murmured. “W-what… what ar-”

“Steven. You’re going to be okay.” Rose spoke as gently as she caressed his cheek. “I’m proud of you. And I always will be.”

“W-ha-” Steven attempted to speak before she pressed a finger against his lips.

“Do… do you remember, Steven? The tapes? The one I left for you.” Rose asked. Steven nodded. “And what I said in them?”

Steven could only nod. Tears streaking down his cheeks. Jasper’s hand was then replaced with the hand of his oldest, furry friend. Lion. Looking into their large, deep purple eyes, Steven could see a deep sadness in them. Steven never knew Lion could look so mournful.

“Steven… honey. We… we can’t exist at the same time. You’ll die without my gem. And I’ll lose my form without you. We were perma-fused for a reason.” Rose said, her voice breaking up as she smiled with tears raining down. “I… I’ll always be with you, my little shining star.”

“R-rose?” A slightly booming voice gently echoed through the area. White diamond, blushing with a pink glow. “I’m… sorry.”

“We all are.” Yellow spoke as well as she choked up. “We… I can’t!”

“Rose… We’re sorry. For everything.” Blues voice gently echoed while their collective tears splashed into the water, causing it to make the fountain glow in a radiant nebula of colors. It made it look as though Steven and his mother were floating among the cosmos.

“We love you… my eternal starlight.” White spoke, as all three of them gently caressed her hair and face.

“I- I know. And… I love you all as well.” Rose’s voice cracked. “But please, promise me, on your diamonds, that you will love Steven the same way… you wanted to love me. and please don’t be overbearing. Love him like the calm winds.”

Rose then turned to look at Steven, who was gently crying.

“Rose?” Connie spoke, trying to sound calm. “I… wish I could have known you better.”

“If you know Steven, sweetie, then you know me.” Rose replied to Connie, gently stroking her hair. “You… love him. I know that. I remember everything now. And… about what you asked earlier, as Steven slept. The answer… is yes. Yes… you can.”

Connie had covered her mouth with her free hand as she gasped and began to sob uncontrollably.

“M-mom?” Steven croacked.

“Don’t speak Steven… I love you.” Rose said, as she smiled at Steven, who began to cry.

“M-mom… mommy?” Steven cried as Rose wrapped her arms around her weak and frail son like a mother holding her child for the first time.

“I love you, Steven.” Rose spoke softly into his ear. “I love you. And I always will. And please… please promise me… Take care… of yourself… my little star.”

“Y-yes… I will, mom.” Steven said, his tears mixed in with the water around him. Roses essence, mixed with the other Diamonds. A bright glow radiated the area. The crowd around the two of them, took a few steps back in shock. It was as though a star had formed in the water. The blinding light painfully burned Steven’s eyes like the sun.

And as the glow faded, Steven felt Rose shrinking. Her arms becoming smaller. Her chest shrinking with her shoulders. She felt… familiar. He… felt familiar. Steven didn’t open his eyes until the glow has subsided. But as he did, his focus had shifted onto eyes that not only looked strikingly familiar, it was the eyes of himself. His inner self. His gem self. Steven looked up at the familiar eyes of his other half, blank, and without expression, save for a few errant tears.

“Will… you remember… her words?” his voice echoed. The crowd around him sat stunned at what had unfolded before him. The air, filled with electric tension.

“Y-yes.” Steven murmured. His pink self smiled slightly, as he pressed his forehead against his human self. A gentle, pink glow had spread across the water, and enveloping the two Steven’s. His body felt as though it was being healed. He felt as though he was fusing with Connie, but in a more familiar sense. And as the glow subsided, the pain, the suffering that Steven had endured of over a year had vanished, leaving behind a slightly glowing gem, gently embedded into him. The two halves, the best of both worlds, united once again.

Steven felt calm. At peace. Even when he felt a tug on the collar of his shirt. Lion gently dragged Steven out of the water like he was picking up a small cub. I a way, Steven was a cub to Lion. His eyes gently opened to the feeling of Lion nuzzling Steven, and letting out gentle, but deep, moans. He looked around to see the ears in everyone’s eyes. The relieved, but mourning faces of all he loved. The entire time, he felt the same hand that was holding his for most of the ordeal. Connie’s soft hands. Steven was surrounded by all he had known and loved. Old friends, and new ones. Old enemies and rivals who had turned to be his most loyal friends and allies. Seeing them all, he was overcome with emotion. He began to sob loudly into the arms and chest of all those who surrounded him. All of those he had loved, those his mother had loved. Those who lived, and thrived on a world his mother had sworn to protect. Steven, for once in a long time, was surrounded by love, once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*  
> *Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*  
> *Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*  
> *Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*
> 
> In case you're wondering, i did cry while writing that, again when i transcribed it onto the computer, and i'm tearing up now. But i promise, no, swear that the next one is going to be a billion times better than this. It would be better, and definitely longer than this story. like... it was 93 pages on google docs, and about 200 pages back and front in my notebooks. It will definitely blow the series finale of SUF out of the water with a Tzar Bomba. but this one... i'm so sorry if it made you cry. I really, REALLY am.
> 
> *Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*  
> *Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*  
> *Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it was kind of sweet, but Steven still has a hurdle or two ahead of him. in the next few chapters, Steven and the Crystal Gems go down memory lane.
> 
> for the past few months, i was without a computer. So i basically spent most of my time writing the rest of the stories in journals. 3 of them to be exact. It's been a long and tiring process, but it kept my mind off of things.


End file.
